Crypto Crafters

[PRESS RELEASE – Tokyo, Japan, October 31st, 2024]

Mawari Network, a spatial computing DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network), has announced a limited node license sale. Already a pioneer in immersive content, the node sale will make Mawari’s 3D streaming technology more scalable and accessible for content creators and developers. This node sale will help create a global, decentralized spatial computing infrastructure as the market for extended reality devices like the Apple Vision Pro, Meta Orion, and Meta Quest 3 is projected to reach more than 100 million units in the next five years. As demand for immersive experiences grows, Mawari is building a network that can grow with it.

Mawari’s infrastructure is optimized for the demanding needs of immersive experiences, positioning Mawari as a key actor in the emerging multibillion-dollar spatial computing market. Called “a sleeping lion” by Samsung Next, Mawari is redefining and building the future of spatial computing. Its solution comprises the Spatial Streaming SDK and the Mawari Network. The SDK, supporting the Unity and Unreal engines, empowers developers to create seamless, immersive experiences. The Mawari Network, working in parallel, leverages a globally distributed network of GPU nodes to ensure low latency and optimal performance. The node license sale’s objective is to help scale the network, optimize its global performance, and ensure its resiliency.

“This node sale allows node operators to help bring 3D content to the world, and be rewarded for their efforts,” Luis Oscar Ramirez, Mawari’s Founder & CEO said. “The current cloud services didn’t allow us to scale our proprietary spatial streaming technology, we researched ways to scale immersive content and found DePIN was clearly the best option. Now, we can allow our global community of node operators to participate in building out our critical node network alongside our community of developers and content creators.”

Mawari has worked with industry leaders, such as Deutsche Telekom, KDDI, Telefonica, Magic Leap, Netflix, Qualcomm, T-Mobile and dozens of other clients. The Solana Foundation recently selected Mawari for a grant, endorsing its roadmap for decentralized spatial computing. Backed by investors including Anfield LTD, Borderless Capital, 1k(x), and Samsung Next, and with veteran DePIN and web3 operator, Sean Carey, a co-founder of Helium, also joining its board, Mawari is the clear category leader.

Node Sale Details

The node sale is scheduled for Q4 2024, building out the Mawari Network’s ability to perform compute-intensive tasks and efficiently deliver immersive 3D content on a global scale. The Mawari Network will be leveraging specialized GPUs around the world for advanced computation and streaming tasks, but a set of Guardian Nodes are needed to verify their work and the performance of the network overall as it serves multiple simultaneous immersive experiences. The node sale is for licenses to operate these critical Guardian Nodes.

More specifically, Guardian Nodes’ responsibilities include assessing critical performance indicators like latency, bandwidth, and content quality to maintain the high standards necessary for immersive, real-time experiences. By monitoring the Mawari network, the community-run Guardian Nodes will make it more performant and more resilient, ensuring it can scale securely as it grows.

Details of the node license sale will be announced soon.

About Mawari

Mawari is setting the standard for decentralized spatial computing and immersive content delivery. The Mawari Network powers real-time streaming of immersive content through a global network of compute nodes. Mawari is optimizing XR for awe, creating unforgettable experiences and revolutionizing how creators engage audiences at scale.

Mawari Network built the foundational technologies to power the next generation of interactive media, fully realizing the possibilities of virtual worlds existing seamlessly alongside our physical reality. Its core technology, the Mawari Engine and Spatial Streaming SDK, runs on the Mawari Network — the world’s first and only DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) that orchestrates storage, bandwidth, and rendering in real-time for spatial computing.

Bypassing the rendering limitations of existing mobile devices and content delivery networks, Mawari’s global network of compute nodes has already powered activations from digital fashion shows to concert visualizations. The Mawari Network’s peer-to-peer architecture was purpose-built to scale spatial media streaming requirements with a community-centered ethos.

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[PRESS RELEASE – San Francisco, USA, October 31st, 2024]

Tony Vejseli, Figure Markets Holdings Inc., and GXD Labs, LLC (collectively “the Group”) today issued a statement to address recent developments following a meeting held on October 28 at White & Case’s Midtown Manhattan offices, where the Group met with the board of directors (the “Board”) and management team of Ionic Digital, Inc. (the “Company” or “Ionic”). The Group thanked White & Case for hosting the discussion but noted a need for clarification following the Company’s summary of the meeting in a press release, which they believe misrepresented several key points.

In response to Ionic’s statement regarding its affirmation of “strong momentum” and its “laser-focus” on implementing its strategic initiatives, the Group raised concerns over the Board’s apparent lack of knowledge of core operating metrics. They highlighted that the Board appeared unprepared to discuss any aspects of its financial or operational performance, including by answering any of Mr. Vejseli’s questions as described in his post on X, leading to questions about the Company’s competitive position and valuation. The Group also expressed skepticism about Ionic’s ability to complete its audit, initially expected in early 2024 and now anticipated by Q1 2025 according to the Company, within the announced timeframe due to the apparent lack of available financial information, including the Company’s EBITDA and expenses.

The Group indicated that alternative liquidity options for shareholders were discussed, yet they felt these options had not been fully explored or evaluated by the Board. The Group also raised concerns over Ionic’s contract with Hut 8, noting that, although it had presented a proposed solution, no alternative path forward was discussed by the Board or management.

During the meeting, the Group outlined a proposed plan for refreshment of the Board, specifically suggesting the resignation of three current board members—Scott Duffy, Tom DiFiore, and Emmanuel Aidoo – to be replaced by three new, independent directors with the requisite experience and skill sets. The proposal, supported by a detailed presentation, emphasized the need for strategic and experienced leadership to better align the company’s actions with shareholder interests.

Shareholders are encouraged to review the proposal and consider supporting a special meeting to vote on board changes.

About Figure Markets

Figure Markets is democratizing finance through blockchain. We’re building the exchange for everything – a decentralized custody marketplace for crypto, stocks, bonds, credit and more. We’re bringing best-in-class leverage, margining, and liquidity to our exchange, while offering our members extensive borrowing options and unique investment opportunities. Figure Markets puts our members in control of their assets and data, disintermediating legacy brokers, exchanges and lenders.

Figure Markets is backed by leading venture capital firms and strategic partners, including Jump Crypto, Pantera, Distributed Global, Faction Lightspeed, NewForm Capital and CMT Digital. Figure Markets was founded by a seasoned team of entrepreneurs and operators from TradFi, fintech, and DeFi, including Mike Cagney and June Ou.

Users can learn more at www.figuremarkets.com.

[PRESS RELEASE – New York, NY, October 30th, 2024]

Morph, a global consumer layer for driving blockchain adoption, today announced its mainnet launch on Ethereum. The mainnet launch marks a significant milestone in building Morph’s consumer layer, serving as an expansion beyond a typical Layer 2. Morph’s consumer layer directly addresses the root causes of limited blockchain adoption, enabling ecosystem participants to exchange real assets and engage in transactions. Projects that are already building on Morph can now transition to the mainnet and continue developing their technology with this expanded scope, further driving growth of the consumer layer.

Cecilia Hsueh, CEO and Co-Founder of Morph, commented on today’s news: “Morph’s launch on mainnet marks a significant step in our mission to bring blockchain to the masses. Currently, dApps are not designed for everyday users–we are working hard on changing this. This milestone propels our vision of a decentralized, scalable, and secure infrastructure, empowering developers and users alike with the tools they need to build and engage with the next generation of consumer-centric decentralized applications.”

Morph’s consumer layer is a carefully crafted ecosystem of technologies, services, and features that combines optimistic and zero-knowledge rollups to strengthen both security and performance. To date, blockchain adoption has been slow due to regulatory, scalability, and performance issues. On the other hand, the newly-launched mainnet offers builders a blockchain experience that is scalable, secure, and user-friendly to the non-crypto native, enabling endless possibilities for consumer blockchain applications.

Morph’s mainnet launch follows its previous Holesky Testnet that featured key upgrades including an EIP-4844 Optimistic zkVM integration to lower transaction costs and a revamped bridge mechanism to finalize withdrawals in a single transaction. Aiming to improve performance and infrastructure, the testnet saw over 6 million wallet addresses, 100 million transactions, more than 200 projects deployed, and 1 million plus members joining the community.

“Our goal is to be the one-stop shop for all builders around the globe to come build on and be able to create success for the projects they’re working on,” said Azeem Khan, COO and Co-Founder of Morph. “While decentralization is important in technology, the inability of builders to navigate the resources needed to build, launch, and scale their companies is something we’re here to address. It’s time for there to be a chain by and for the builders. That is Morph.”

As part of Morph’s vision to revolutionize the blockchain industry by transitioning from a tech-centric niche to a mainstream utility, Morph’s consumer layer approach differs from that of other blockchains which focus narrowly on technical aspects without achieving widespread adoption. To address these challenges, Morph provides builders with key resources, including funding, incubation, acceleration, and go-to-market strategies to keep consumers top of mind. Initiatives such as the recently announced Centralized Exchange Coalition, an initiative composed of top centralized exchanges, empower builders to bring their projects to market, attract users, and access essential funding. Through this comprehensive support system, Morph enables builders to succeed, driving the next wave of blockchain innovation.

About Morph

Morph is the global consumer layer, acting as the distribution hub for the resources builders need to launch and scale for the mass market. It leverages a hybrid solution of ZK and Optimistic roll-up technology and a decentralized sequencer to enable limitless possibilities within mainstream audiences, making it a user-friendly option for developers who require a chain to build these types of apps. Bitget, the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, is an original investor in Morph that will continue to play a role amongst the other investors in shaping the Morph ecosystem.

Bitcoin’s price actions over the past 24 hours took the asset to just inches away from breaking its March all-time high of $73,740.

Many altcoins are also in the green today, with DOGE jumping by nearly 5%, while SHIB, LINK, and ADA have posted impressive gains of around 3%.

BTC Came Inches Away

The primary cryptocurrency has been a spectacular run for the past several days. It all started after the Friday night price dump to $65,500 after the Tether FUD, but the bulls resumed control of the market immediately.

This resulted in BTC recovering some ground and sitting around $67,000 during the weekend. However, the asset went on the offensive at the start of the current business week, which saw it going above $70,000 yesterday for the first time in months.

Moreover, bitcoin wasn’t contained this time at just touching this coveted price tag, but kept climbing in the following hours and spiked to $73,600 (on Bitstamp). Thus, it came about $150 away from breaking the $73,740 (CoinGecko data) all-time high set earlier this year.

Nevertheless, it failed to overcome that record and has been pushed south by around a grand now. Being 2% up on the day, though, means that its market cap has soared to over $1.430 trillion, while its dominance over the alts has skyrocketed to above 56% on CG.

SUI Shoots Up

Most altcoins have turned green today, as well. Ethereum is up by 2% and has neared $2,700. TRX and SHIB have added similar percentages over the past 24 hours. Dogecoin is the biggest gainer from the top 10 alts, followed by ADA. LINK is up by 3% as well, while SUI has skyrocketed by 12%. As a result, it now stands well above $2.

In contrast, KAS has dumped by 7% within the same timeframe. BNB, SOL, XRP, AVAX, and BCH are also slightly in the red.

Nevertheless, the total crypto market cap has increased by $80 billion and sits at a multi-month peak of its own at over $2.550 trillion.

[PRESS RELEASE – Dubai, UAE, October 29th, 2024]

PAID Network ($PAID), a leading decentralized token crowdfunding platform, is thrilled to announce the launch of an exclusive Low FDV Community Offering (LCO) for Blast Royale, a Tier 1 blockchain game backed by industry giants such as DragonFly Capital, Mechanism Capital, and Animoca Brands. With over 1 million app downloads, 30,000+ daily active users, and a vibrant community exceeding 220,000 members, Blast Royale aims to make a significant impact in early November through PAID’s platform alongside over a dozen other projects that have committed to this initiative.

Pioneering a Community-First Investment Model

In a move set to redefine the blockchain investment landscape, PAID Network is introducing a first-of-its-kind community-centric investment model that, according to PAID, directly addresses the longstanding issues of low float and high Fully Diluted Valuations (FDVs). By offering Blast Royale at a low $10 million FDV—substantially lower than the last round at $48m FDV —PAID is putting the community at the forefront, ensuring early investors have the potential for wealth generation at a large discount compared to other rounds. (Blast Royale’s previous rounds led by Animoca Brands, & Mechanism incl. 2022 FDV of 33.7M and Early 2024 FDV of 48M).

Kyle Chassé, Founder of PAID Network, stated:

“Crypto has drifted away from what really matters—empowering the community. The Low FDV Community Offering (LCO) flips the script, giving real people a shot at serious upside without the insane valuations or pump-and-dump hype. This is about getting back to the core of why we’re here: creating opportunities for everyone to win and be part of something bigger.”

Addressing the Low Float High FDV Issue

According to PAID Network’s data, the traditional “low float, high FDV” model has been a persistent problem in the Web3 space. Projects often launch with a small circulating supply (low float) and an inflated FDV, leading to:

• Imbalanced Token Distribution: Early venture capitalists hold large portions of tokens, leaving retail investors at risk of being sold on by large holders.
• Price Volatility: Limited token availability can cause extreme price fluctuations, making the tokens unstable and discouraging market participation.
• Community Disengagement: Retail investors feel disadvantaged, leading to decreased trust, participation, and poor community sentiment.

PAID Network’s LCO model is designed to solve these issues by:

• Offering Lower FDVs: By securing project offerings at significantly reduced valuations, the community gains access to investment opportunities that were previously out of reach.
• Ensuring Fair Token Distribution: The LCO promotes wider token distribution among community members, fostering a more balanced and stable market.
• Aligning Incentives: Projects benefit from an engaged community committed to long-term success rather than short-term speculative gains with the goal of bringing back strong community associations.

Users can register here for the sale starting on the 6th/7th Nov:

A Major Rebrand Reflecting Community-First Values

Alongside the LCO for Blast Royale, PAID Network has undergone a transformative rebrand and UX/UI overhaul. This evolution reflects PAID’s commitment to being a community-first crowdfunding platform, emphasizing a theme of financial freedom and prosperity for all.

New Site

Commenting on the vibrant new identity, Kyle added:

“We believe crowdfunding should be exciting, rewarding, and inclusive. Our new brand reflects that vision, and we’re eager to have both seasoned crypto enthusiasts and newcomers join us on this journey.”

Innovative Features Enhancing the Crowdfunding Experience

By pioneering a community-centric investment model, PAID is working to redefine the crowdfunding landscape through its several groundbreaking features in their upcoming updates, including:

• Gamified Crowdfunding: Leaderboards, challenges, and rewards allow retail investors to earn perks by actively participating.
• Account Abstraction: Simplifies onboarding for non-crypto natives, removing the complexity of crypto wallet management.
• Community Impact Score: A merit-based ecosystem where holders of PAID’s native token and projects launched earn points to access exclusive rewards & opportunities.
• Real-Time State of $PAID economy: Users can track the $PAID Flywheel and the upcoming buy-back, burns, and airdrops in real-time.
• Multi-Chain Single Click Swaps: Seamless cross-chain integration makes trading and investing more accessible than ever.
• Community Fund: PAID’s DAO will be launched to empower the community with key voting and decision-making responsibilities regarding future project investment opportunities.

[Features to be rolled out Q4 2024]

About PAID

Founded in 2021, PAID is a decentralized crowdfunding platform that connects innovative projects with investors. By ensuring a secure, transparent, and community-first crowdfunding experience, PAID has become the leading global investing platform for Web3 projects. To date, PAID has facilitated over $35 million in capital across 110 investments and is integrated with over ten blockchain networks. With a thriving community of over 250,000 members, users can stake the $PAID token to unlock various benefits, including rewards, buyback & burn mechanisms, and governance participation. The $PAID community fund invests in exclusive early-stage deals, distributing returns to loyal users.

PAID Socials

X | Telegram Community Channel | Telegram Announcement Channel | Discord | Medium

[[PRESS RELEASE – Dubai, UAE, October 28th, 2024]

The Cryptids: Monsta Mash, a Play-to-Earn (P2E) and Tap-to-Earn (T2E) battle royale game, integrating blockchain technology with non-stop action. Users can step into a world where their skills can let them win battles and potentially get real-world rewards. Built on the lightning-fast Solana network, Monsta Mash is a gateway to economic opportunities in a digital universe.

The team at Monsta Mash put community engagement and entertainment at the top of their priority list. The 10 Launch is part of their “10” mantra which will be seen through out the game’s development. With $MASH, their utility token, users gaming experience transforms into a unique platform where every tap, battle, and monster users can catch opens doors to non-stop fun whilst collecting and earning tokens.

The Crypto and Gaming Revolution

According to the team, some of the world’s most popular battle royale games have captivated players globally by being community-driven, highly interactive, and fun. Their success can indicate that immersive gameplay and a strong community are at the heart of every gaming success story. At Monsta Mash they are following this blueprint and enhancing it with crypto-backed rewards, creating a game-changing experience.

The Cryptids: Monsta Mash project offers a thrilling gameplay while providing users with potential economic benefits.

Tap-to-Earn Hybrid: Fun Meets Opportunity

At Monsta Mash, they are thinking of innovative ways to combine fun and earning potential. Their Tap-to-Earn model is an example of this. Players can engage in simple actions like tapping or collecting resources to boost their token balance. This low-effort model has taken off recently.

Monsta Mash’s hybrid play-to-earn and tap-to-earn gameplay taps into this trend while introducing new mechanics and interactive features that keep players coming back for more. It’s all backed by real blockchain technology, giving users the opportunity to collect, trade, and grow while they play.

A Global Team with a Proven Track Record

Teams in Dubai, New York, and London have collaborated to form Monsta Mash’s global development team. Possessing years of expertise in the gaming and crypto fields, they have established a team with a results driven approach. The gaming team had succeeded in 2021, creating the #1 game on Apple’s iOS platform, which reached over a million downloads in just a few days after its release. The general team is also responsible for other blockchain initiatives and starting ICOs that drew interest from global investors.

Players can get a preview of what’s to come with the beta edition available to download right now in Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

The 10-day Launch Countdown

The 10-day countdown for the release of the $MASH token begins. Users can sign up to secure exclusive bonuses and massive giveaways. Users will automatically enter a giveaway for $10k USDT and 10 million $MASH tokens just by signing up.

By joining now and being an early adopter, users can lock in $MASH tokens at its genesis price of $0.0018, ahead of the official November 6th presale launch.

Users can download the beta version of the game on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

About The Cryptids: Monsta Mash

The Cryptids: Monsta Mash is a blockchain-based battle royale game on the Solana network, blending Play-to-Earn and Tap-to-Earn models. Developed by an international team, Monsta Mash lets players earn in-game tokens through action-packed gameplay while collecting and trading digital assets. With a beta available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, Monsta Mash will launch its $MASH token presale in early November 2024.

Website – https://www.cryptidsgame.io/ 

Presale Sign-Up – https://www.cryptidsgame.online/sign-up 

Telegram –https://t.me/CryptidsMonstaMash 

LinkTree –

Investment inflows into digital assets reached a whopping $901 million in October, comprising 12% of assets under management and marking the fourth-largest monthly inflows to date.

With these additions, year-to-date inflows have reached $27 billion – almost triple the 2021 record of $10.5 billion.

US Political Climate Drives Bitcoin Inflows

According to the latest edition of CoinShares’ “Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly Report,” the month’s inflows were overwhelmingly focused on Bitcoin, with a massive $920 million, while short-Bitcoin products saw minor outflows of $1.3 million. It appears that recent US political developments, especially rising support for Republicans, have significantly impacted Bitcoin’s current inflows and pricing.

With $10.8 million in inflows, Solana was the second most popular choice among investors this week, while next up was multi-asset products which saw a recovery, drawing $2.1 million after the earlier setback. Altcoins such as Litecoin and XRP posted minor inflows as well, with $1 million and $0.8 million, respectively.

In fact, blockchain equities, too, continued their upswing, marking their third week of inflows, which reached $12.2 million last week.

While sentiment was positive for most assets, Ethereum bucked the trend with the largest outflow of $35 million last week. Cardano also saw minor outflows, amounting to $0.1 million.

The US saw strong inflows of $906 million, leading globally, while Germany and Switzerland recorded positive inflows of $14.7 million and $9.2 million over the past week. Australia noted a modest $0.3 million in inflows.

On the other hand, Sweden and Canada had the largest outflows at $12.7 million and $10.1 million, while Brazil and Hong Kong saw lesser outflows of $3.6 million and $2.7 million.

Big Bet on November Election

Donald Trump’s stance on digital assets has attracted widespread support from the crypto community, who view his potential presidency as a path to favorable regulations. This support has led traders and major investors to make substantial bets on his November election odds.

Trump currently holds a strong lead of over 66% on Polymarket, a leading blockchain-based betting platform, with a mystery investor – adding another $2 million in USDC to pro-Trump bets, bringing their total stake to $7.22 million, as tracked by on-chain intelligence firm Lookonchain.

TL;DR

• Dogecoin surpassed $0.14 once again, potentially fueled by Elon Musk’s recent appearance at a Trump rally and his playful nod to the meme coin.
• Analysts see the potential for more price hikes, with targets up to $0.175 or higher if resistance levels are broken to the upside.

DOGE on the Run Again

The biggest meme coin in terms of total market capitalization is the best-performing top 10 cryptocurrency today (October 28). It is up 6% daily, currently trading well above $0.14. 

DOGE’s resurgence could be linked to Elon Musk’s latest interaction. Tesla’s CEO participated in Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, urging people to vote for the Republican in the upcoming presidential elections (scheduled for November 5).

He once again spoke about establishing a potential Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should Trump enter the White House as a winner. The division would aim at fair taxation for Americans and will be spearheaded by Musk himself. 

Shortly after, Tesla’s boss posted an interesting photo of him on X. The upper part of the picture depicts the billionaire flexing during the public speech, while the lower features the Shiba Inu breed (which resembles DOGE’s logo) striking the same pose all in muscles. 

Dogecoin proponents were happy to see the direct reference to their favorite cryptocurrency, with some claiming that the move might positively impact the entire meme coin sector. 

Further DOGE Pump?

Several analysts believe that the asset is yet to experience a substantial increase. The popular X user Ali Martinez predicted a 25% rally to around $0.175 if DOGE breaks above the $0.143 resistance. Currently, it is trading slightly above that level.

Crypto Candy chipped in, too, envisioning a new bull run similar to the one observed in 2021. Recall that DOGE’s valuation exploded from around $0.05 at the start of April 2021 to over $0.70 a month later (a whopping 1,300% spike).

$DOGE the OG of MEME broke out on weekly timeframe and getting started for the next bull run.
Expecting to pull a run like previous Bull Run pic.twitter.com/zLHQWsRUwt

— Crypto Candy (@cryptocandy24x) October 28, 2024

For their part, BitBull forecasted a massive green candle, taking Dogecoin to as high as $0.60 at the beginning of next year.

Reports have emerged that bad actors allegedly tied to North Korea’s Lazarus Group executed a complex cyberattack that used a fake NFT-based game to exploit a zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome.

According to the report, the vulnerability ultimately allowed the attackers to access people’s crypto wallets.

Exploiting Chrome’s Zero-Day Flaw

Kaspersky Labs security analysts Boris Larin and Vasily Berdnikov wrote that the perpetrators cloned a blockchain game called DeTankZone and promoted it as a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) with play-to-earn (P2E) elements.

Per the experts, they then embedded a malicious code within the game’s website, detankzone[.]com, infecting devices that interacted with it, even without any downloads.

The script exploited a critical bug in Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, letting it bypass sandbox protections and enabling remote code execution. This vulnerability allowed the suspected North Korean actors to install an advanced malware called Manuscrypt, which gave them control over the victims’ systems.

Kaspersky reported the flaw to Google upon discovering it. The tech giant then addressed the issue with a security upgrade days later. However, the hackers had already capitalized on it, suggesting a broader impact on global users and businesses.

What Larin and his security team at Kaspersky found interesting was how the attackers adopted extensive social engineering tactics. They promoted the tainted game on X and LinkedIn by engaging well-known crypto influencers to distribute AI-generated marketing material for it.

The elaborate setup also included professionally done websites and premium LinkedIn accounts, which helped create an illusion of legitimacy that attracted unsuspecting players to the game.

Lazarus Group’s Crypto Pursuits

Surprisingly, the NFT game wasn’t just a shell; it was fully functional, with gameplay elements such as logos, heads-up displays, and 3D models.

However, anyone visiting the P2E title’s malware-ridden website had their sensitive information, including wallet credentials, harvested, enabling Lazarus to execute large-scale crypto thefts.

The group has demonstrated a sustained interest in cryptocurrency over the years. In April, on-chain investigator ZachXBT connected them to more than 25 crypto hacks between 2020 and 2023, which bagged them more than $200 million.

Additionally, the U.S. Treasury Department has linked Lazarus to 2022’s infamous Ronin Bridge hack, in which they reportedly stole over $600 million in ether (ETH) and USD Coin (USDC).

Data collected by 21Shares’ parent company 21.co in September 2023 revealed that the criminal group held more than $47 million in assorted cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Binance Coin (BNB), Avalanche (AVAX), and Polygon (MATIC).

In total, they are said to have stolen digital assets worth more than $3 billion between 2017 and 2023.

Bitcoin continues to lead in terms of the longest average holding period. However, one crypto asset has outpaced major assets like Ethereum in this metric, highlighting its sustained appeal among long-term investors.

According to the latest data compiled by IntoTheBlock, Bitcoin leads with an “average HODL time” of 4.4 years. This aligns with its popular perception as a long-term store of value or “digital gold.”

Despite the world’s largest crypto asset’s failure to reclaim a crucial level and notch a fresh all-time high, both institutional and retail interest have spiked, though the latter has been slower.

Interestingly, standing close to the “digital gold” is Litecoin which is often referred to as the “silver to the Bitcoin’s gold.” With an average holding time of 2.6 years, Litecoin investors have one of the highest holding times amongst digital assets, second only to Bitcoin.

Another particularly fascinating observation is that Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Shiba Inu (SHIB) all share an identical average holding period of 2.4 years despite their very different use cases and market perceptions.

This suggests that meme tokens might be evolving beyond their initial reputation as purely speculative assets. Moving down IntoTheBlock’s list, Chainlink (LINK) and Toncoin (TON) are observed to have an average holding period of 1.9 years each, while Tron (TRX) and Cardano (ADA) sit at 1.2 years each.

The stablecoin Tether (USDT) and Avalanche (AVAX) show the shortest holding periods at 8.9 and 7.7 months, respectively, which makes sense given USDT’s primary use as a trading pair and medium of exchange rather than a long-term investment.